Four ambitious students at Solihull Sixth Form College are hoping to take up Oxbridge places after they leave College after securing prestigious offers from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Amrit Rooprai and Daisy Maskell are hoping to go to Oxford, while two learners from Cockshut Hill School (partner school from within the Summit Learning Trust), Omer Eldaw and Estella Hope, are aiming to progress to Cambridge.
For Amrit Rooprai (a former overseas student, who studied in Kenya), her offer is to study Medicine at Somerville College at the University of Oxford. She is currently studying A level Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics and explained what motivated her to make the challenging Oxford application.
She explained:
“I applied to Oxford because I want to pursue a career in medical research, as well as being a clinician. After attending an open day, I felt that the tutors at Oxford understood my goal better than others I had spoken to. They all displayed a lot of passion for care, while driving a lot of active research as well. I also attended a summer school and loved how the university was part of the city.
“The application was quite stressful because of the admissions tests, the early application and interview preparation while A levels went on too. I had to work hard from the start of Year 12 to ensure I had the appropriate predicted grades and I had to stop football for a few months to attend the Oxbridge sessions. However, I got support with the application process, attended an interview exchange and got help from my teachers too.”
Meanwhile, Daisy Maskell (a former Light Hall School student) is currently studying A level Law, History and Psychology and is hoping to take up a place at University College, Oxford to study Law. If she achieves this, she will follow in the footsteps of Trinity Weldon, who joined University College last year to do the same course.
Daisy commented:
“Oxford offers amazing resources, teaching staff and facilities. When visiting, I felt comfortable in the city itself. I believe the teaching style would suit my preferred methods of learning, so I decided to make an application. The application process was hard at times, but it is manageable if you ensure you are prepared and can keep up with your college work as well. The application process for Law involved submitting a personal statement, completing the LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law) and a minimum of two interviews.”
Estella Hope (ex-Cockshut Hill School pupil) has an offer from St Catherine’s College, Cambridge to study Theology. She is aiming for top grades in A level Religious Studies, Psychology and Politics to earn her place there.
She commented:
“College guided me to attend summer schools at Cambridge and Oxford universities, which helped convince me to apply. In the end, I opted to apply to Cambridge because I really liked the course they had to offer, as it has such a wide range of different topics that I had never considered before. It also has a great atmosphere and is an excellent place to learn due to the academic expertise they can offer.
“Applying was a difficult process as there was so much to do and not that much time to do it. As well as my personal statement, I had to submit two essays and prepare for my interview, which required lots of reading and a source that I had to answer questions on. I also had to do an at interview assessment, in which I had to answer questions on a video lecture. The College offered me lots of help with the process.”
Fellow former Cockshut Hill learner, Omer Eldaw is hoping to join Estella at Cambridge. His offer is to study Engineering at Peterhouse College with a deferred entry. He is currently studying A level Mathematics, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics.
He commented:
“I originally intended to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge, but after experiencing a summer school with the Sutton Trust and listening to more talks, I decided to switch to Engineering. However, the reasons why I applied to Cambridge still stand. One reason was because I was able to pick modules that I felt suited my ambitions and satisfied my curiosity. In addition, the amount of support and individualised teaching you get is unbeatable.
“I think the application process was made a lot easier by the support I gained from the College, with the Stretch and Challenge programme and some external support from the programmes I participated in. I had to sit an admissions test for Engineering called the ENGAA. The support I had from my Physics teacher was fantastic and definitely contributed to my scores. The interview was also a tough process, but I had three mock interviews with teachers from other schools and received very valuable feedback to work on.”
College Principal Dr Martin Sullivan commented:
“I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Amrit, Daisy, Estella and Omer. They took on a massive challenge when they decided to make an Oxbridge application, as they were pitting themselves against some of the top students not only in the UK but from around the world too. I’m proud of how well they have done in securing offers and grateful to our fantastic staff for the support they gave to our learners to help them get this far.”
For learners who are thinking about making Oxbridge applications in the future, all four students have words of encouragement. Their views are summed up well by Daisy, who commented:
“I would advise students to go for the opportunity, as even the application process is an extremely fulfilling process in terms of life experiences and skills development. I would also say that they should never feel limited or put off from applying just because they do not fit into the category of a “typical” Oxbridge student.”
15 February 2023